Homo Erectus, Etc.

Is it really helpful to employ the terms Homo erectus, Denisovan, Neanderthal, or Cro-Magnon, when we were all human beings after all?

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I've attended a couple of lectures, and had some lovely pub chats, with an archaeologist who specialises in Neanderthal sites in Western Europe, and he informed me that there is a growing trend in archaeological circles to reclassify Neanderthal as "Homo Sapien Neanderthalis", to recognise them as something more "human" than they've been conventionally seen as. It's far from consensus yet, but I think the more we learn, the more we'll see our ideas of other hominids coming more into line with that way of thinking.

I've attended a couple of lectures, and had some lovely pub chats, with an archaeologist who specialises in Neanderthal sites in Western Europe, and he informed me that there is a growing trend in archaeological circles to reclassify Neanderthal as "Homo Sapien Neanderthalis", to recognise them as something more "human" than they've been conventionally seen as. It's far from consensus yet, but I think the more we learn, the more we'll see our ideas of other hominids coming more into line with that way of thinking.

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This isn't a subject I'm well up on, but until fairly recently I though it had been revised to Homo sapiens neadertalis a long while ago. But when I came to check recently I can find no mention of this. I'm sure I read it somewhere grown up too.

I don't think you're supposed to include a 'h' either. That's what I read anyway, but like 95% of what I thought I knew about the last 66 million years that's probably wrong too.

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Confusion has probably come about because the area where it was discovered was 'Neandertal' - but they named it after an earlier spelling of the area (i.e. with the 'h') and the 'h' version stuck.

Neanderthals are named after one of the first sites where their fossils were discovered in the 19th century in the Neandertal in Erkrath, Germany. Thal is an older spelling of the German word Tal (with the same pronunciation), which means "valley" (cognate with English dale).

A rose is a rose and by any other name smells as sweet. I'm not say our chunky cousin smells sweet. I'm just saying that by whatever name he is called he/she is still a paradox to unravel. I have contended for some time that the Neanderthal (however you spell it) was a solid member of the Homo Sapien Sapien clan. As far as that is concerned so is the Denisovian and probably others. I apologize if I misspelled anyone.

A rose is a rose and by any other name smells as sweet. I'm not say our chunky cousin smells sweet. I'm just saying that by whatever name he is called he/she is still a paradox to unravel. I have contended for some time that the Neanderthal (however you spell it) was a solid member of the Homo Sapien Sapien clan. As far as that is concerned so is the Denisovian and probably others. I apologize if I misspelled anyone.

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If by clan you mean species then that is as far as I know not an easy thing to define. This is something that I have very little understanding of but it bothers me, and as far as I'm aware there are about six models to define it in current formal use today. I've found myself equally persuaded by the arguments I've heard on either side of how and when to draw what might be a pretty arbitrary line.

Adam and Eves first born, Caine, was cast out for murdering Able. He went into "Nod" and too a wife. As Adam and Eve were the first Homo Sapiens who did Caine find to marry? Neanderthal or Denisovian perhaps Not meaning to start a biblical flap I simply threw that in as a curiosity.
Speaking to a friend of mine who teaches at a local college; I was informed that if one took a typical Neanderthal, gave him a haircut, combed his beard, put him in a three piece business suit with shiny black shoes and a folded newspaper under his arm he would pass as nothing exceptional on a busy street corner in any larger city. Again just a curiosity.

gave him a haircut, combed his beard, put him in a three piece business suit with shiny black shoes and a folded newspaper under his arm he would pass as nothing exceptional on a busy street corner in any larger city.

Adam and Eves first born, Caine, was cast out for murdering Able. He went into "Nod" and too a wife. As Adam and Eve were the first Homo Sapiens who did Caine find to marry? Neanderthal or Denisovian perhaps Not meaning to start a biblical flap I simply threw that in as a curiosity.

Are you saing there are no newspapers in Scotland Seriously the thing was simply an example that the Neanderthal was not so different from us. I went to college with a fellow who had a close similarity to the Neanderthal. He was not heavy set but his head had the classic heavy brow ridges and his mouth was set forward, muzzle like. He was a likable fellow and had no problems getting a girl for a date. This was back in the "stone age" when I was still in college.

Are you saying there are no newspapers in Scotland Seriously the thing was simply an example that the Neanderthal was not so different from us. I went to college with a fellow who had a close similarity to the Neanderthal. He was not heavy set but his head had the classic heavy brow ridges and his mouth was set forward, muzzle like. He was a likable fellow and had no problems getting a girl for a date. This was back in the "stone age" when I was still in college.

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BYW My computer is ancient, like me, and tends to skip letters now and again. Excuse.

Pedant alert; it's Neander THAL, named after the Neander Valley in Germany where the first type specimen was found, valley in German=Thal, hence Neanderthal, although it's pronounced as if there was no H. And years ago I posted about a chap I used to work with that I was conviced was a throwback to them,can't be arsed to seach for the post, but he was immensly strong ,barrel chested, browridges etc, if archeaologists found his skeleton sometime in the futue they would think Neanderthals were still alive today.

If we're being pedantic, all the binomial names in this thread have been incorrectly capitalized. Our species binomial name is Homo sapiens. Our particular subspecies is Homo sapiens sapiens. The Neanderthal man is classified as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis.

If we're being pedantic, all the binomial names in this thread have been incorrectly capitalized. Our species binomial name is Homo sapiens. Our particular subspecies is Homo sapiens sapiens. The Neanderthal man is classified as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis.